Project R.E.A.C.H. was born from my passion for animals, and my desire to create awareness about animal adoption, standing up against animal cruelty, and promoting responsible pet ownership. I decided that my classroom would be a great place to start to make a change, beginning with my students! Start small. Think BIG. R.E.A.C.H.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Week 8 and 9 Wrap Up/ Moving Forward!

Week 8
Week 8 was a whirlwind! We've been learning about using social media as a tool for promoting change and practicing sharing for animals in need. The great thing is, the students have been doing an excellent job, especially with developing their introductions in the posts. I'm very proud of their efforts. If you "like" our page on Facebook, you've probably noticed that students/ groups have been posting and leaving their "signatures"! Sometimes they have forgotten, but that's quite alright! :) Slowly but surely, they are managing the page during the day while yours truly manages the page on nights and weekends. :) I am very proud of their efforts.

You also probably enjoyed the recent post by Eugene and another Group 4 student about how to make a collage to "advertise" for animals in need. This set of instructions was developed by these two fantastic students in order to help others help animals! :) I'm so pleased with their collaboration. If you didn't get a chance to look at the blog post, here it is for your enjoyment and hopefully learning~ :)http://projectreach2013.blogspot.com/2013/10/advertising-for-animals-how-to-make.html

In other Week 8 news, I'm pleased to say that Project R.E.A.C.H. will have an even bigger reach thanks to our friendship with the team of Dog By Dog, headed by my friend Mr. Chris Grimes. As one of our aims is to stand up against animal cruelty, the efforts of DBD are very relevant to our learning!

Dog By Dog is a documentary

"that aims to wake up the American public to the horrible realities of puppy mills by following the money trail across the United States and confronting those that have maintained this corrupt and irresponsible system. While many documentaries have admirably exposed the public to the sickening underworld of puppy mills, what has been missing from the public discussion is a close examination of the umbrella of monetary support which have sentenced millions of healthy dogs to death and allowed the most irresponsible dog breeders to thrive. Many people try to save these animals one by one, or dog by dog. This documentary aims to point out the problems of the current system in order to move toward a kinder and gentler one." (Dog By Dog Website)

More information will come forward as we work out details, but I am sure that you will all be very excited. :) Knowledge most certainly sustains compassion, and collaboration helps to expand knowledge. Working together, we can certainly make positive strides in this world.

Week 9
During Week 9, students have pressed forward with their collage-building efforts thanks to the help of some peer educators who have passed on the torch to show their peers how to navigate the whole process. Not all of the students have had the opportunity to create posts, but stay tuned.

Groups 2,3, and 4 have been making preliminary concept development for their public service announcements, which means that they have been brainstorming appropriate music, images, and text/ voice-overs that they will be using to develop their collaborative videos.

Group 1 has been working through the full writing process to participate in the "Pets Add Life" poetry contest. I am very pleased with their efforts and use of poetry writing concepts with such literary elements as "similes," "metaphors," "imagery," "onomatopoeia," and "alliteration." I will certainly share their finalized drafts some time during the upcoming week.

Moving Forward
This week, students are going to be working on lessons involving crafting and fundraising efforts! They will also be learning about budgeting for care of companion animals and will be completing a refresher course on how to appropriately interact and greet companion animals. Our trip to the Salem County Humane Society is quickly approaching (Friday, November 15th) and we are getting geared up for all of the fun things we will be doing during our time there. More details on our efforts this coming week will be posted as soon as possible.

Thank you, again, for your constant love and support of Project R.E.A.C.H. We can not begin to thank you enough for your thoughtfulness and compassion!!